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S. M. WRIGHT.

WATER- HEATER. I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2Z I917. v v 1,309,083. Patented July 8, 1919.

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WATER HEATER.

' I I'J'KEPLICATION F ILED on. 22. 1911. 1530915083 Patented July 8, 1919.

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SAMUEL 111. WRIGHT, F SCHENECTAI JY, NEW YORK.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed October 22, 1917. Serial No. 197,780.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water- Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

This invention relates more particularly to water-heaters of gas-heated type, wherein the supply of gas to the burner is automatically regulated by variations in the water-pressure due to the opening or closing of a faucet supplied by the heater.

The principal object of the invention is to prevent waste of gas in the use of such a heater by regulating the supply of gas to the burner in accordance with the demand made upon the heater by ,a more or less opened faucet or faucets.

Other objects will appear in connection with the following description.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view partly in side elevation, partly broken away, and partly in vertical section, of a water-heater embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same viewed from the right-hand side, as shown in Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the gas-valve-controlling plunger detached.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the upper portion of one of the fines, and an adjacent broken-away portion of the upper head of the heater-casing.

Referring to the drawings wherein the invention is shown in preferred form, the casing of the heater is formed of a cylinder, 1, having at each end a cap or head, 2, the upper cap being surmounted by a hood, 3, from which extends a smoke-pipe 1.

The upper head has an inlet-nipple, 5, while the lower head has an outlet-nipple, 6.

The out-flow through the pipe, 7,-Lis controlled in the usual manner by a faucet or faucets, not shown.

Mounted below the lower head, 2, is a ma n gas-burner, 8, the supply of as to which is controlled by a valve, 9, whic may be of any desired form, having an operating member, 10. The supply to the valve, 9, can be further controlled if desired,'by means of a cut-ofl' valve, 11.

A piIQtJight-burner, 12, is connected with the gas-supply-pipe between the valves, 9

' ber.

. The inlet, 14, is connected with a watersupply-pipe, not shown.

The outlet, 15, is'connected' by pipe, 16, with the inlet-nipple, 5, on the upper head, 2.

A plunger, 17 fitting loosely within the chamber in the valve-casing, 13, is adapted to reciprocate therewithin past the outlet, 15. Thi plunger has its'peripheral portion adjacent to the outlet, 15, cut-away or chamfered increasingly toward its upper end or the inlet-end of the chamber.

The -plunger may be so chamfered in any desired manner; but I have shown it chamfered in the preferred manner by forming or cutting therein a longitudinal peripheral groove, 18, V-shaped in cross-section, and gradually increaslng in width and depth toward the upper end of the plunger.

A coil-spring, 19, is confined under compression within the chamber in the casing, 13, between the lower end of the plunger, 17, and the bottom of the chamber, said spring tending to force the plunger toward the inlet-end of the chamber.

A rod, 20, connected at its upper end with the plunger, 17 extends out through a stuffing-box, 21, "at the lower endof the valvecasing, 13, its projecting end being connected by a link, 22, with the operating member, 10, of the gas-valve, 9, whereby reciprocating movements of the plunger, 17, are transmitted to said gas-valve-operating member to vary or control the supply of gas to the main burner, 8.

A passageway, 23, is formed in the valvecasing, 13, connecting the outlet, 15, with the lower part of the chamber within said valve-casing. V

The gas-valve, 9, is so adjusted that it is fully closed when the plunger, 17 ,is in its uppermost position, and is gradually opened by the downward movement of the plunger. The operation of the device is as follows:

Under normal conditions, when there is no demand by the house-system upon the heater, the pressure of water in the inlet-end of the chamber in the valve-casing is equalized by the pressure within the heater-body, and

the outlet, 15, and the lower portion of said chamber, so that the plunger, 17, is held in its uppermost position by the influence of the spring, 19.

When a demand is created upon the heater by the opening of a faucet in the house-system, the pressure within the heater-body, outlet, 15 and lower part of the chamber within the valve-casing, 13, is immediately reduced, thus relievlng the u ward water-pressure upon the plunger, 1 which thereupon yields to the greater pressure from its upper end, of the water entering the chamber through the inlet, 14, causing the plunger to be forced downward against the force of the spring, 19, so as to uncover to the outlet, 15, a portion of the groove, 18, in the plunger, through which groove the water then passes from the inletend of the chamber to the outlet, 15, and thence through the heater-body to the supp y-P 1 7 So long as the demand upon the heater causes the pressure of the water within the body of the heater to be materially less than the pressure of the waterentering through the inlet, 14, in the water-valve, the plunger, 17, will remain more or less depressed; and the greater the demand upon the heater, with the resultant greater reduction of pressure within the heater-body, the greater will be the downward movement of the plunger, 17.

As the movement of the plunger is transmitted to the operating member, 10, of the gas-valve, 9, it follows that, as the demand upon theheater increases, the gas-valve will be opened farther and farther, and as the demandupon the heater lessens, the pressure within the heater-body will more or less rapidly increase, causing the plunger, 17, to move upward with the resultant closing more or less rapidly of the gas-valve, 9. The gas is thus supplied to the burner, 8,

automatically in accordance with the demands upon the heater.

The heater-body, has numerous lines, 24, fitted at their upper ends in apertures in the upper head, in apertures in the lower head, 2.

In order to obtain the maximum effect of the heated gases passing upward through 2, and at their lower ends I the lines from the main gas-burner, 8, it is de-- sirable to employ some flow-retardmgmeans ing the upward flow of gases through the flue, and of effecting a tight joint between the end of the flueand the head, 2.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a device of the class described and in combination, a water-v'alve-casing having an elongated chamber provided with an inlet leading to one end of the chamber, and with a lateral outlet; a plunger reciprocatory within said chamber past said outlet, and having its peripheral portion adjacent to said outlet increasingly chamfered toward the inlet-end of said chamber, said plunger being automatically yieldingly movable toward the inlet-end of said chamber; a gas-valve; and an operating connection between said plunger and said gas-valve.

2. In a device of the class described and in combination, a water-valve-casing having an elongated chamber provided'with an inlet leading to one end of the chamber, and with a lateral outlet; a plunger reciprocatory within said chamber past said outlet, and provided with a longitudinal peripheral groove, \l-shaped in cross-section, gradually increasing in width and depth toward the of said chamber; a spring interposed between the other end of said chamber and said plunger, tending to force the plunger toward the inlet-end of said chamber; a gas-valve; and an operating connection'between said plunger and said gas-valve.

4. In a device of the class described and in combination, a water-valve-casing having an elongated chamber provided with an in- ;let leading to one end of the chamber, and

with a lateral outlet intermediately of its ends, said valve casing being provided with a passageway communicatin with said in"- let, and with the other end oi said chamber;

a plunger reciprocatory within said cham- 'inlet end of said chamber; a gas-valve; andher, past said outlet, and provided with a an operating connection between said longitudinal peripheral groove of gradually .plunger and said gas-valve. 10 increasing size toward the inlet-end of said In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 5 chamber; a spring interposed between the set my hand this 17th day of October, 1917. I

other end of said chamber and said plunger e I tending to force the plunger toward the SAMUEL 

